Honestly not as of yet, granted I’ve had parents who has reached out saying I made an impact on their child from a school visit but without explanation. Yes! The most important thing would be to support and share the message. Put my organization in front of the crowd and we’ll do the work, there is no need for anything else. Help us push the curriculum of my books through underprivileged elementary school systems to promote equality and inclusivity.
As part of my series about young people who are making an important social impact”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Modello Brown.
AWARD WINNING! Author Modello Brown grew up in the Englewood district of Chicago, Illinois in the early 90s. Being the honest and direct person that he is, he is never afraid to talk about the rough upbringing that he experienced. However, he regards himself as lucky to have been saved by the magic of music and art.
He is passionate about creating ways to teach young people about values, self-belief, and self-worth. The Hip-Hop Little series is one of the ways he hopes to capture the imagination of those children who might feel like they don’t have many options in life, and to provide them with tools Modello did not have himself growing up.
He is also a person who really knows the value of hard work, and believes in his passion. Between creating Hip-Hop Little stories, he also spends his days working on animation. Disney has been a huge inspiration since he was little. An inspiration that has fueled the majority of his artistic pursuits ever since. He also finds time to look up and learn about art, read inspirational books, and drive a truck at night to make a living!
One of the most important elements of Hip-Hop Littles is giving kids role models. His hope is every child who reads his books will see themselves reflected in one of the characters. This will help them to realize that any problem they have, other kids have too. They are not alone. In turn, this should give them the confidence to be themselves and to share their feeling without fear of judgment.
Ultimately, the Hip-Pop Littles series is about entertaining kids whilst teaching them that being themselves is something to be celebrated.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us a bit about how you grew up?
Well I grew up in the heart of Chicago in the Englewood community which is a very high crime area. Growing up in that area I would say is sort of a gift and a curse. The gift in my prospective is the understanding you have to hustle when you get older after learning that there is more to this world than what you have been exposed to. The curse would literally be the losses you’d have to take to the chin, the mistreatment, being ridiculed, and the judgment thrown at you from looking or dressing a certain way. Fortunately, I had a great mother who endured several struggles of her own but still managed to provide me and my sister with the tools needed to prevail. I grew up as a product of my environment, becoming involved with the gangs, fighting, regardless of what tools I had because it felt and seemed cool as a single parent she could only do so much. Growing up in the hood surly taught me to have a similar touch of damask skin.
You are currently leading an organization that aims to make a social impact. Can you tell us a bit about what you and your organization are trying to change in our world today?
Me and my organization is fighting to impact the underprivileged, shed light on lost conversations that deserve to be had. Impacting the youth with valuable information translated in a way they would understand, and be drawn to through the similar art of hip hop and storytelling is the goal. Violence is at its highest point and although there are other organizations looking to make the same impact through a similar tactic, we’re looking to tackle things from a more animated cultural standpoint. The way the colored underprivileged is invisible through colored eyes is not Prismacolor. No ones free until we’re all free with quality.
Can you tell us the backstory about what inspired you to originally feel passionate about this cause? Many of us have ideas, dreams, and passions, but never manifest it. They don’t get up and just do it. But you did. Was there an “Aha Moment” that made you decide that you were actually going to step up and do it? What was that final trigger?
The backstory would literally be my upbringing and seeing how different the neighborhoods were in different areas. Depending on where you lived determined your educational level. Poverty areas are ripped of the tools that once created opportunities for us to be recreational, only to create us as monsters. This inspired me to create music and my organization. So my “Aha Moment” would be when I noticed there are no Disney Movies that reflect the struggle of the underprivileged communities. That was the only trigger I needed.
Many young people don’t know the steps to take to start a new organization. But you did. What are some of the things or steps you took to get your project started? Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company or organization?
The steps I took to get started was I just started. Going into creating a business I honestly had no idea of what I was doing but knowing there was a need for impact in change and my name to be remembered. Always being willing to learn and trusting the process with understanding that you had this idea for a reason, is the key to manifesting your business. The most interesting story was the day I heard a kid say “Hey I remember them from the other place” or the time a little girl told me “You’re the best author ever!” that gave me the “This is why I’m here…for this change to be remembered”.
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
Well from my experiences, no mistake is a fun mistake especially when it’s financial. But publishing my first book I took a great financial loss, I published it through a fraud company. Being eager to produce something new and exciting always seems to prompt you to make mistakes. I learned to never rush things and trust my own process by learning the business first, and researching.
None of us can be successful without some help along the way. Did you have mentors or cheerleaders who helped you to succeed? Can you tell us a story about their influence?
Honestly, when I started creating my organization it was all just creative thought. I’ve approached friends at the time for feedback just to perfect a few uncertainties but ultimately it was the driven purpose. My mentor helped me see a lot of people for who they were, I was surrounded around lots of people who prayed on my downfall. Much of my success is honestly self taught, I endured my losses but using those as a Segway into my success.
Can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was impacted or helped by your cause? Are there three things the community/society/politicians can do to help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?
Honestly not as of yet, granted I’ve had parents who has reached out saying I made an impact on their child from a school visit but without explanation. Yes! The most important thing would be to support and share the message. Put my organization in front of the crowd and we’ll do the work, there is no need for anything else. Help us push the curriculum of my books through underprivileged elementary school systems to promote equality and inclusivity.
What are your 5 things I wish someone told me when I first started & and why?
1. Learn to control your emotions,
2. It’s really just about business nothing personal,
3. You can’t do everything on your own,
4. Marketing is the biggest expense for building a brand
5. No risk no reward.
Going into creating something you already have the idea of how important you want your brand to become. In that process of building you become attached emotionally as if it was your child, and in some cases it really is mentally. You can’t focus more on creating a life and not having one especially as a creator you need those experiences to create. I myself learned all of these 5 things the hard way but drowning myself in my work, with that it caused me to lose more money than I needed to in marketing and taking risk. But with the risk came rewards.
If you could tell other young people one thing about why they should consider making a positive impact on our environment or society, like you, what would you tell them?
We all have a responsibility to push the conversation forward until we are all equal, no ones free until we’re all free factually.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
Yes, If I had my choice it would be Bill Cosby. To me he shaped this culture and paved the way for black sitcoms. Granted there were shows before the Cosby Show but as a lead role as a father figure was a strong impact on our black communities. A lot of us in poverty and high crime areas didn’t have fathers so we learned a lot of what a father should be from watching “The Cosby Show”.
How can our readers follow you online?
Instagram/Facebook: @OkModello / @HipHipLittles
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success in your great work!
Young Social Impact Heroes: Why and How Modello Brown Is Helping To Change Our World was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.